In 2009 my wife Debby and I began a search for where we were going to retire. I had promised myself I was going to work until I was 70 and retire than. Debby had an enriching career teaching in an all-boys Catholic High School outside of Detroit. At this time she was determining when she would like to retire. We had researched the up of Michigan and Colorado for possible places. The lord intervened at this time and said to us through various means the timing was not right. We could not find a place that we like in Colorado and we decided that we preferred to live in the mountains of Colorado rather than the upper Michigan.

Now the lord said wait a minute you have some issues that you need to deal with. About this time Debby and our daughter had found a house that we liked in the Evergreen /Conifer area. We put in an offer and it was accepted but before we were finalizing everything. It was discovered that I had what the doctors thought was Hypoglysemia (lack of sugar) in my system. I was hospitalized for 4 days and released without a full diagnosis. So for the next few weeks I went through times of dizziness and passing out both at home and in public. About this time another set of blood tests were ordered. As a result of this a CAT scan and MRI were ordered. It was found that I did not have hypoglysemia but an aggressive form of Liver Cancer and had a large tumor in my liver. At that time it was suggested by one of my Doctors that we do not buy the house in Colorado. Debby and I prayed talked to the lord extensively for 2 solid days about our next move. We decided to buy the house and if all else failed we could sell it. The lord intervened again and we were given a very capable surgeon who felt we could surgically remove the Tumor and move to Colorado.

We purchased the house and I went into surgery 2 days later. I prayed to the lord to help through this challenge just before I went in. The surgery took 6 hours, 8 units of blood and a 12 pound tumor was removed from my liver. I was left with 40% of Liver but that was enough to sustain me. The Doctor told my wife that I had not been as healthy as I was I would have died on the surgery table. I was being watched over. A biopsy was sent to a Cancer specialty Hospital in the South and it was determined that they had gotten all the cancer and it was a very rare and aggressive form. I truly was being watched over. I was also told at that time there was a 30% chance of the Cancer coming back. In my mind I was watched over by the lord. First of all my body had encased the cancer and 2

nd

of all It has been 6 years and the Cancer has not returned.

So we moved to Evergreen and our new home. We than started going to the Church of the Hills Presbyterian and were called to join the Church. We have enjoyed our membership, association with God through the Church, and its membership! What I have learned through all this change in my life is that to trust in the lord and all challenges can be overcome. Including challenges in the church.